In 2007, there were 88 schools for Brazilians resident in Japan. These schools are found in 12 of the country's 47 prefectures.

Including 3 schools for Peruvian workers, a total of 10,000 students attend these schools.

Source: Kyodo News

The Japanese Government Pension Investment Fund made a record 5.74 trillion yen loss on its investments in the last quarter of 2008 as the yen rose in value and the stock markets crashed.

Source: GPIF

The initial estimation for the number of suicides in Japan in 2008 is 32,000 - the 11th straight year the total has topped 30,000. Yamanashi Prefecture was the suicide capital of Japan with 40.8 deaths per 100,000 people followed by Aomori with a suicide rate of 36.5. The National Police Agency released figures showing 2,645 people (1,994 men; 751 women) killed themselves in January 2009 up from 2,305 for January 2008.